Make sure your cardio is good. By the third fight, guys will be slowing substantially.

I've fought under WEKAF rules on several times, but never at a regional event.

Will they be going live stick or padded? If live stick, hit hard and intimidate your opponent. If padded, speed becomes more of a factor as it really doesn't hurt as much.

If someone is outhitting you at close range, check them off hard and land clean shots as you make space. While quantity of hits is good, decisiveness looks much more obvious to judges.

Ah.. damn.. hmm my cardio isn't so good but is improving. (I get completely winded after three randori's in a row during Judo)

I have about two weeks to train/condition cuz i didnt know anything about it up til two days ago. This'll be my first real competition so I'm excited. Even if I lose (which I probably will.. Im sure everyone has like 9 years of experience or something ridiculous)
it'll be a great experience.

Any specific strikes/patterns (ocho-ocho, abaniko, etc) and blocks I should be sure I have down pat for the WEKAF rules? From what I understand, i don't get to use any thrusts, punyo strikes (not even punyo disarm strikes? =/ )

and Um. what do you mean live stick and padded?
I think they'll be going with normal rattan sticks + WEKAF Gay armor. and the helmet.
but not 100% sure. I'm about to get sent the flyer/application.
I'll post it up as soon as they e-mail it
I much prefer DB style. I feels so encumbered with the armor on.
Im starting to spar 3 times a week with the armor on to try and adust to it.

I've been watching WEKAF videos.. and they don't look very impressive footwork wise.
In your experience under WEKAF rules. Do alot of people get sloppy with their technique and footwork?

Live stick means no padding on the stick, but heavier padding on the body, which is generally how WEKAF does it. Some other groups go with minimal padding on the body, but use a padded stick.

There's no specific combo that I can tell you, as we're different FMA systems. I'd tend to say to keep it simple, and look for targets of opportunity. Angling in properly will tend to really open stuff up. Everyone technically knows this, but the majority of them will end up charging straight forward, or retreating on a line where they are an easier target. Angle off, both when attacking and defending. Keeping your head on the same line is a good way to get it hit, so don't do this.

As far as blocks go, use what you know, but be looking to counter as fast as possible. Targets appear and disappear very quickly. Many fighters pretty much toss out blocking, and just use angled attacks and evasion as their defense. Be aware of this.

Hitting the hands will be a big deal. It's the foremost target. Look for it on opponents, and keep your own moving so as to not make them easy targets. If you hit your opponent's hands, move in a bit more and you're in range for a head shot. Use hand hits to gauge your range.

Oh, and you've still got two weeks so run some sprints and do some burpees. Seriously, cardio will be the biggest factor in many of the fights.

Live stick means no padding on the stick, but heavier padding on the body, which is generally how WEKAF does it. Some other groups go with minimal padding on the body, but use a padded stick.

There's no specific combo that I can tell you, as we're different FMA systems. I'd tend to say to keep it simple, and look for targets of opportunity. Angling in properly will tend to really open stuff up. Everyone technically knows this, but the majority of them will end up charging straight forward, or retreating on a line where they are an easier target. Angle off, both when attacking and defending. Keeping your head on the same line is a good way to get it hit, so don't do this.

As far as blocks go, use what you know, but be looking to counter as fast as possible. Targets appear and disappear very quickly. Many fighters pretty much toss out blocking, and just use angled attacks and evasion as their defense. Be aware of this.

Hitting the hands will be a big deal. It's the foremost target. Look for it on opponents, and keep your own moving so as to not make them easy targets. If you hit your opponent's hands, move in a bit more and you're in range for a head shot. Use hand hits to gauge your range.

Oh, and you've still got two weeks so run some sprints and do some burpees. Seriously, cardio will be the biggest factor in many of the fights.

Necro cuz I've been training for a week now with single stick (and getting completely tooled by the other guys under these WEKAF rules)

Yeah I've been working on my cardio..

the hardest thing for me is keeping my controlling/checking hand from getting hit.
I'm so used to keeping it active in the mix to clinch/check or what not but the ruleset doesn't let me do that as much as i like. also Ive been having to break bad habits of blocking with the elbow and knee for certain strikes.

I think I'd be better at the double stick than single for this reason and the fact that my right arm/shoulder is weaker than my left due to being dislocated twice.

I just don't have the same hitting power in my right as I do in my left but I'm spending 3 hours a day right now developing my right hand for the single stick stuff.

I'm sparring 3 - 4 days a week with two experienced WEKAF guys. and getting tooled. but it's good experience. although I think I need to be way more aggressive.. and you were right there is alot of linear charging. and initially I want to charge in and clinch/throw/takedown but it ends up being a clusterfuck of abaniko hits until I can check them off of me because of the ruleset.

Question:
- When you say angle off in response to the charge. Do you block and angle off usually or strike and angle off.

I think that's what bugs me the most.
that and I'm used to doing alot of thrusting and punyo strikes.

Lots of bad habits(WEKAF context-wise) that I need to break.

1. Both. I will angle off when blocking, or angle off with an immediate counter attack, using the lateral/angled step to slip my opponent's strike. It forces him to have to square up once again and re-direct his charge.

If you step straight back, you are still right in his gunsights, and he can just step forward firing off quick combos, not having to worry about where you are located (still right in front of him.) He doesn't need to adjust his tactics at all, just the range by taking another step forward. Attacking in a straight line is very easy, and your head is straight in front of him at all times.

By constantly changing your angles via footwork, you are taking yourself out of his power-striking zone which is generally right in front of him if he is fairly squared up. Ideally you end up to the outside of his shoulder, slightly behind him, but this is not always possible right from the outset. Even slipping to the inside forces him to have to adjust his stance, which takes a second. In that second, you should be hitting him.

2. For low hits, I'll try to use footwork to evade, and just hit him in the head. If I force him to miss the hit, great. If not, it's not a bad trade. Being a taller guy (6'2), I have little Filipino guys go after my legs all of the time. If I try chasing them down there with blocks, they pop back up and then try to hit me in the head. So I just say screw it. If they go down and try to get me with a low horizontal (most common), I just throw a very steep diagonal or a vertical and try to smash them to the ground as they ar crouched. I may also check them in the head to help with this.

This works great, and I've knocked guys down as they pull this tactic on me. Usually after I've knocked them down twice, they'll give up going after my legs. When using this tactic, I avoid throwing horizontals at their head, as if they've got a good bob and weave, they'll duck it, slap you low, then come back high. Steep angled strikes going downward will head this off. Steep upward strikes can get them as well, but are more tricky timing-wise.

Another point is that I try to avoid crashing into them at close range while my opponent and I are squared up to each other and just stay toe to toe. It becomes a ridiculous abanico slap fest against most guys. If we end up close and square, I will check the **** out of them, and blast them with a power strike as it goes to medio. Or I will attempt to check and pass to his backside, and begin bullying him with aggressive checks and power hits.

I find it completely laughable that so many FMA styles do this silly toe to toe slapping. If you can't hit me hard, why even bother? In fact, you'd better hit me hard or I'll clinch up and knee you to **** before I throw you. Seriously, it's much faster to drop someone with a throw at this range than it is to rely on abanicos to chip away at them.

Necro cuz I've been training for a week now with single stick (and getting completely tooled by the other guys under these WEKAF rules)

I'm sparring 3 - 4 days a week with two experienced WEKAF guys. and getting tooled. but it's good experience. although I think I need to be way more aggressive.. and you were right there is alot of linear charging. and initially I want to charge in and clinch/throw/takedown but it ends up being a clusterfuck of abaniko hits until I can check them off of me because of the ruleset.

Question:
- When you say angle off in response to the charge. Do you block and angle off usually or strike and angle off.

I think that's what bugs me the most.
that and I'm used to doing alot of thrusting and punyo strikes.

Lots of bad habits(WEKAF context-wise) that I need to break.

As to the first. Either. Or more accurately, they are the same thing. You can either close down the line by intercepting his attack or by forcing him to intercept yours, but they should largely always be offensive movments, even when executed defensively.

As for leg shots, i generally don't use a low four wall or other defelection unless absolutely neccesary. To evade with footwork, the easiest remedy is to lightly cross-step the targeted leg back, keeping the weight on the base leg, and bring it back as soon as the attack has passed.

I find it completely laughable that so many FMA styles do this silly toe to toe slapping. If you can't hit me hard, why even bother? In fact, you'd better hit me hard or I'll clinch up and knee you to **** before I throw you. Seriously, it's much faster to drop someone with a throw at this range than it is to rely on abanicos to chip away at them.

Limed for truth. It's because of the stupid WEKAF rule-set that allows this artificial situation to be created. In DB-style fighting. You are right. It would go into a clinch, extended check, throw or disarm. Because of the 3 (or is it 5 second?) rule and the no clinching/throwing/leg/hand strike rules. it makes it possible

Kind of like how chunners say trapping range can be maintained or how TKD works as a sport but fails outside its ruleset.

and thank you both ryno and self-critical. Im about to head up and try to put your advice into action.

oh.. one final thing.. anyone have any home-remedies about how to dry out/make the blisters in your hands heal any faster?